Mastering Manipulation: Unleashing Sun Tzu's 'Laying Plans' for Personal Power
How dark arts practitioners harness 'Art of War' tactics of 'Laying Plans' for personal gain.
Scrolls of the Dark Arts for Scholars
The Dark Arts have been practiced since antiquity. Achieving Dark Arts mastery requires studying the manuals of the Dark Arts and internalizing their lessons.
Dark Arts Instruction Manuals include the following classics:
One: The Prince, by Niccolò Machiavelli. Amoral statecraft.
Two: The Art of War, by Sun Tzu, Statecraft and Organized Violence.
Three: The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene.
This is part of a series on The Art of War, by Sun Tzu. It provides a summary and real-life historical examples of other Dark Arts masters who applied its principles.
Laying Plans
Applying Sun Tzu's "Art of War," particularly the chapter "Laying Plans," to the pursuit of personal power over others without ethical considerations, involves a strategic and calculated approach. Their application in real-life scenarios, especially for personal gain at the expense of others, must be ruthlessly approached with a strong sense of indifference toward the suffering of others.
Here's a detailed analysis of the concepts from "Laying Plans" with a focus on obtaining personal power:
The Five Fundamental Factors:
Moral Law: This involves creating a sense of common purpose or alignment with others. To gain power, one might strive to become a central figure in a group or organization, around whom others unite.
Heaven: Represents understanding and exploiting timing and trends. In seeking power, this would mean identifying the opportune moments to assert influence or take decisive action to crush a rival.
Earth: This symbolizes the importance of understanding the environment. In a power dynamic, this means knowing the social or organizational landscape, including the hierarchy, power structures, and key influencers.
The Commander: Pertains to leadership qualities. A person seeking power must exhibit confidence, strategic acumen, and often a charismatic personality to attract and retain followers or allies. It’s also advisable to cultivate a ruthless reputation to instill fear in potential rivals.
Method and Discipline: Involves organizing and structuring approaches to achieve goals. This could translate into detailed planning and execution of strategies designed to increase influence and control.
Victory and Defeat: Success in gaining power often depends on the ability to effectively strategize and outmaneuver rivals. This involves not only having a plan but also being able to anticipate and counter the actions of others, destroying them completely and without mercy if necessary.
Planning and Analysis: Detailed planning and analysis of both allies and adversaries are critical. Understanding the motivations, weaknesses, and strengths of others can provide a strategic advantage in exerting influence.
Adapting to Change: Flexibility and the ability to adapt strategies in response to changing circumstances are crucial in maintaining and expanding power.
Deception and Strategy: Without ethical constraints, deception becomes a tool. This might involve misrepresenting intentions, manipulating information, or strategically disclosing or withholding information to gain an advantage.
Knowing Yourself and Your Opponent: Deep self-awareness and an understanding of others are key. This includes recognizing personal strengths and weaknesses and exploiting the weaknesses or vulnerabilities of others.
In the absence of ethical considerations, these strategies can be used to gain and maintain power over others. However, it's crucial to remember that it may be necessary to give the appearance of ethical considerations to avoid negative consequences, including the loss of trust, respect, and loyalty, which are often vital for sustainable leadership and influence. Additionally, ruthless approaches lead to conflict, instability, and harm to individuals and organizations.
Historical examples of destroying rival states
Throughout history, there have been numerous instances where individuals or states have sought the complete destruction of their enemies. These examples often highlight the extreme lengths to which leaders or nations will go to ensure their dominance or survival. Here are some notable instances:
Fall of Carthage (146 BC): In the Third Punic War, Rome completely destroyed Carthage. After a lengthy siege, the city was sacked, its buildings razed, and its fields salted to ensure nothing would grow there again. This act effectively ended Carthage as a political entity.
Mongol Conquests (13th Century): Under Genghis Khan and his successors, the Mongols were known for their ruthless tactics against those who resisted them. Cities that defied them, like Baghdad and Samarkand, were often utterly destroyed, with large portions of their populations slaughtered.
The Destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70): The Roman Empire, under Emperor Titus, responded to the Jewish rebellion by besieging and then destroying Jerusalem, including the Second Temple, a central symbol of Jewish religion and culture. This led to a significant dispersal of the Jewish population.
The Harrying of the North (1069-70): After the Norman Conquest of England, William the Conqueror responded to rebellions in the north of England by devastating vast areas, and destroying crops, livestock, and homes, resulting in widespread famine and death.
Fall of Tenochtitlan (1521): During the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Hernán Cortés and his forces laid siege to Tenochtitlan, leading to its eventual fall. The city was almost entirely destroyed and rebuilt as Mexico City, the capital of the Spanish colony of New Spain.
Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945): In the final stages of World War II, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This resulted in unprecedented destruction and loss of life, leading to Japan's unconditional surrender.
Destruction of Dresden (1945): In World War II, the Allied forces conducted heavy aerial bombing on the German city of Dresden. The bombing created a firestorm that destroyed most of the city and resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths.
Rwandan Genocide (1994): In a devastating episode of ethnic violence, members of the Hutu majority in Rwanda systematically massacred members of the Tutsi minority. An estimated 800,000 people were killed within just a few months.
Siege of Aleppo (2012-2016): During the Syrian Civil War, the city of Aleppo was besieged, leading to widespread destruction and a significant loss of life. The siege, involving various factions, including the Syrian government, rebel groups, and later international forces, devastated one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.
Cultural Revolution in China (1966-1976): While not a direct physical destruction of an enemy, the Cultural Revolution led by Mao Zedong aimed to eradicate traditional cultural, historical, and religious elements in Chinese society, leading to widespread persecution, destruction of cultural artifacts, and significant loss of life.
These examples reflect the often brutal nature of conflict and power struggles throughout history, where the complete destruction of enemies has been pursued as a means to achieve political, military, or ideological goals.
Dark Arts Disclaimer
The path of the Dark Arts beckons to the strong and ambitious, yet it carries its own set of consequences.
Most who follow the dark path regret their choices, often in the twilight of their lives, after being abandoned by their family or suffering a career-ending setback from which there is no recovery.
Do-gooders who follow the path of light wish to witness the downfall of Dark Arts Masters. Due to our lack of compassion or mercy, they shrink from our potency, but they actively work to undermine us whenever they can.
Followers of the dark path discover that genuine affection from others is rare or absent. Instead, we’re surrounded by fearful sycophants and aspiring apprentices who feign fondness but will betray us when it suits them.
The demise of Dark Arts Master is inglorious, symbolically in their professional lives and emotionally within the confines of their homes. Often, the actions of others seal their fate, and they meet their lonely and forgotten end, having alienated everyone.
The allure of power attracts individuals willing to pursue this fickle Fate. We adhere to power’s principles and ultimately meet our cruel fate at its cold hands.